Devil's Millhopper the most interesting hole in Florida

Florida doesn’t need mountains to hike up, because it has holes you can hike down.

Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park is one of the state’s biggest, located in northwest Gainesville. The park’s crown jewel is a bowl-shaped cavity 120 feet deep that leads down to a miniature rain forest. This significant geological formation has enabled researchers to get a better picture of Florida’s natural history, as the bottom of the sink is home to shark teeth, shells and extinct species’ remains. Visitors can enjoy picnicking, hiking, wildlife viewing and learn more about the sinkhole through interpretive displays. A park ranger offers guided education tours each season as the foliage changes.

Devil’s Millhopper is a National Natural Landmark and has attracted tourists since the 1880s. Established as a state park in 1974, the sinkhole is about 120 feet deep and 500 feet across. The generous canopies of trees keep the site nicely shaded and the cool trickle of streams down into the sink keep the temperatures lower even in the middle of summer.

It takes about an hour to hike around and down to the sinkhole. The hiking nature path is a half-mile trail along the top of the sinkhole with a boardwalk system descending to the bottom of Devil’s Millhopper. There are 232 steps to the bottom. You can’t walk around the bottom of the hole, just view it from the boardwalk.

But why such an ominous name? It’s called a millhopper because of the hole’s shape, which is the same funnel-like shape you would find at the bottom of a grain hopper on a farm. Instead of grain, though, since the bottom of the hole was filled with dead animals, it was dubbed the bailiwick of the devil.

The visitor center has collections of shark’s teeth, other fossils and educational videos. Picnicking areas are abundant. Like an oasis in the middle of upland pines, mostly small animals scurry about although the occasional turkey or deer will make an appearance. Guided walks with a park ranger are available every Saturday at 10 a.m.

The park is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is $4 per vehicle, up to 8 visitors per vehicle. The closest campground is Traveler’s Campground with RV and tent sites available. The tent sites have water, electricity, a general store, pool, wi-fi and laundry facilities.